Production of knitted fabrics



Aug. 25, i942. A. F. GUYLER ET AL l 2,293,819

PRODUCTION OF KNITTED FABRICS Original Filed Nov. 28, 1959 HU W 9 A TTORNEKS /N VEAl TRJ Patented Aug. 25,1942

PRODUCTION F KNITTED FABRICS Albert Fairholme Guyler and William Henry Boaler, Spondon, near Derby, England, assignors to CelaneseCorporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Original application November 28, 1939, Serial No. 306,476. Divided and this application Auggust 27, 1941, lSerial No. 408,450. In Great Britain November 29, 1938 Claims.

This invention relates to knitted fabrics, and is especially concerned with a knitted fabric having a high degree of elasticity by reason of a content therein of elastic yarn. The application is a divisional of U. S. application Serial No. 306,476, led November 28, 1939. It is an object of the present invention to provide a fabric that is knittedon a circular knitting machine and possesses a substantial degree of elasticity both in the direction of the courses of the fabric and in the direction of the wales.

According to the present invention a circular knit elastic fabric comprises a plurality of inelastic yarns knitted into loops to form wales and continuous helical courses, and at least one elastic yarn laid into the fabric at the intersections of selected wales with one of said courses and laid into the fabric at the intersections of other selected Wales with another of said courses spaced from the rst, the parts of said elastic yarn lying between said courses, besides proceeding always in the same' direction circumferentially of the fabric, extending always in one direction longitudinally of the fabric from one of said courses and always in the other direction from the other of said courses. By laying in an elastic yarn in this manner the fabric is given'an elasticity, due to contraction of the elastic yarn and this elasticity appears ,not only in the direction of the courses but also in the direction of the wales of the fabric by reason of the fact that the elastic yarn, between the dierent points at which it is laid in, extends over several courses.

For the purpose of feeding and laying inthe elastic yarn the method and machine described in the parent application, Serial No. 306,476, filed November 28, 1939, may be employed. As more particularly described in that application, suitable elements may be provided to which the elastic yarn is fed under tension, the elements being subsequently moved so as to bring the elastic yarn in front of the needle, so that as the needle rises the yarn may slip below the beard or latch thereof in order to lay the elastic yarn into the fabric. The elements, however, will not work ali at once, certain of them presenting the yarn to the needles as soon as it is fed while the others retain the elastic yarn and cause it to be held for several courses before being laid in to the fabric at one or more subsequent courses, and in wales (i. e., by neeor tied in may be grouped in any convenient relationship round the fabric tube. Thus. they may be of two kinds,one kind having layingin points at itsv intersections with one of the helical-courses, and the other at the intersections with anothe. By disposing the wales of the two kinds alternately round the fabric, and disposing the helical courses with which the two kinds of wale intersect to form laying-in vpoints alternately along the length of the fabric (separated by courses in which no laying-in is done), the elastic yarn may be drawn in a simplezig-zag, extending from one course over several courses to another and back, and being laid in at each turning point. By feeding elastic yarn in each course in which laying in occurs, the laying in-of a new yarn for the first time is eifected simultaneously with the laying in of an old yarn for the last time, so that the different elastic yarns meet, and the successive zig-zags form a pattern of diamonds or lozenges. Alternatively, pairs of wales of one kind may alternate round the fabric with pairs of wales,

or single wales of the other. By these means the elastic yarn may be laid in in other forms than a simple zig-zag, e. g., so as to produce hexagonal figures. Again, the elastic yarn may l be laid in at a third kind of Wale, alternating is laid in.

dles) diiferent from those at which it was prewiththe wales or pairs of wales of the other two kinds. and in courses intermediate between those in which it is laid in at the other two kinds of wales. By these means the production of long floats of elastic yarn on the back of the fabric may be more readily avoided. At this' third kind of course, the elastic'yarn will cross the course, which does not occur at the other two kinds of course. Each elastic yarnmay be completely laid in before the next elastic yarn It is preferable, however, as indicated above, that the last laying in of each elastic yarn `should take place simultaneously with, 'and in the same courseI as the first laying in of a new elastic yarn so that the fabricY produced may be elastic throughout. l

It is preferable thatthe elastic thread Should be fed and laid in under a substantial tension, sufficient in'itself to bring it to the desired condition of elongation. However, elastic yarns of thekind that are held in an extended condition by means of a gum or size may beemployed under a lower tension, provided that the lower tension under which they are fed is carefully regulated to ensure their being laid in.

The fabrics produced in accordance with the present invention are particularly suitable for 4 tic thread;

the production of bathing costumes. For this l Fig. 2 is a view showing on a smaller scale the general arrangement of the elastic thread of the fabric illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a modification of Fig. 2;

Figs. 4 and 5 show two modifications of details of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Figs. 2 and 3 showing another'layout of the elastic threads.

Fig. -7 shows yet another layout of elastic thread in a fabric in accordance with the invention.

One form of fabric produced in accordance withthe invention is shown in Fig. 1 in which the ground threads are indicated by the reference numerals I to I2 and the elastic threads, which enter the fabric along with ground threads I and 1 respectively, are indicated by the reference numerals I3, I4. The fabric is one knitted on a twelve-feeder machine, so that it has twelve helical courses formed by the twelve ground threads respectively. At the point I near the bottom of the figure are the two elastic threads I3, I4 associated with the head I8 of the loop in the thread I2, the thread preceding the thread I with which the elastic thread I3 enters the fabric. The threads I3 and I4 are not drawn with the thread I through the loop I6 of the thread I2, but slip down and become associated with that lcop,.so that the two portions I1 of the thread pass over the threads I3 and I4 on each side of the point I5, just as they pass over the thread I2 on each side of the head of the loop I6. In this way the elastic threads I3 and I4 are firmly attached in the fabric. connection with the ground thread 4, the thread l I3, having crossed behind the ground threads I, 2

and 3 is associated at the point I8 in Fig. l with the head I9 of the thread 3 and are crossed by the portions 20 of the thread. After being laid in at the points I8-, the elastic thread I3 is drawn further up the fabric, crossing behind the ground threads 4, 5 and 6, and isA finally laid in at the points 2I near the left and right margins of Fig. 1, being here associated again with the thread vI4 introduced into the fabric with the ground thread 1. The loop formation at these points is'the same as that of the point I5 at the bcttomof Fig. 1, except that the threads I3 and I4 have changed places, the thread I4 being laid in as newly introduced and the thread I3 being nally .laid in. The thread I4 is laid in intermediately at the points -22 in the upper half of Fig. 1, and finally laid in at the point 23 at the top of the figure, which is in all respects similar to the point I5 at the bottom ofthe ligure. Precisely similar effects to those produced at the points I5, I8, 2|, 22 and 23 in Fig. 1 are produced all over the fabric.

It will be understood that the path of the elastic thread shown in Fig. 1 is only diagramvelastic threads I3 and I4 are laid in. It will matic and, by reason of the stiffness of the` relatively thick elastic threads I3 and I4, the kink shown at the points I8 and 22 will not occur in practice, since these threads will.force the ground threads out of shape. f In the result the general configuration of the elastic threads I3 and I4 in the finished fabric will be as is shown in Fig. 2 in which a. flat diamond pattern is shown. The pattern shown in Fig. 2 is produced by a symmetrical and uniform arrangement of the wales in which the be evident, however, that by an unsymmetrical arrangement many variations such as that shown in Fig. 3 may be produced. In Fig. 3 the Wales in which the elastic threads I3 and I4 are laid in initially or iina'lly (as at I5 in Fig. 1) are separated by different numbers of wales alternately so as to produce a distorted diamond effect. It may be convenient in this lcase to omitthe intermediate laying in (as at I8 and 22 in Fig. 2) in the short sides 24 of the distorted diamonds while retaining them in the long sides 25 so that the elastic thread is laid into the fabric in the middle of the longer sides 25 only.

In the form of the invention described above the elastic thread is secured, at each point of laying in byv thread springing from a single loop of ground thread, e. g., the portions I1 at the point I5 in Fig. 1. As a result the portions I1 of the ground thread which retain the elastic thread are very close together. In order to ease the strain on that stitch in the thread I which lies between the two portions I1 thereof the elastic thread may be secured by portions of thread springing from different loops', instead of from the same loop. The result is shown in the detailed Fig. 4 in which f it will be seen that adjacent two loops 21, 28 of the thread I occur` between the points 29 of the thread I which tie in the elastic threads I3 and I4. In

` this way the strain on the thread Imay bei Similarly in considerably eased if desired. The principle may be carried further in the manner shown in Fig. 5 by employing instead of adjacent loops 21, 28, separate loops 30, 3|, spaced apart by several intermediate loops in the thread I and by thesemeans, as shown in Fig. 5, a long float 32 of each of the threads I3, I4 may be formed between the portions 33 of the thread I by which the elastic threads I3 and I4 are tied in.

The form of fabric produced by a conformation of loops of the kind shown in Fig. 5 is shown in Fig. 6 which is a figure similar in nature to Figs. 2 and 3. It will be seen that the elastic threads I3 and I4 form an open hexagonal pattern, being tied in to the fabric midway along each sloping side 35 and being tied in at each end of each horizontal side 38 at the points 31. Fig. '1 is similar to Fig. 6 but shows an arrangement in which both the expedients illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 are employed. Thus, the wales in which the elastic threads are initially and finally laid in alternate in pairs, each pair forming the endsV of the horimay be single wales in which intermediate laying in, as at I8 and 22 in Fig. 1, is effected. The

resulting pattern, as shown in Fig. 7, is a pattern of alternating hexagons and diamonds.

Having described our invention what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A circular knit elastic fabric comprising a plurality of inelastic yarns knitted into loops to form wales and continuous helical courses, and at least one elastic yarn laid into the fabric at the intersections of selected wales with one of said courses and-laid into the fabric at the intersections of other selected wales with another of said courses spaced from the iirst, the parts of said elastic yarn lying between said courses, besides proceeding always in the same direction circumferentially of the fabric, extending always in one directionl longitudinally of the fabric from one of said courses and always in the other direction from the other of said courses.

2. A circular knit elastic fabric comprising a plurality of inelastic yarns knitted into loops to form wales and continuous helical courses, and a plurality of elastic yarns, each laid into the fabric at theintersections of selected wales with one of said courses and laid into the fabric at the intersections of other selected wales with another of said courses spaced from the first, the parts of said elastic yarn lying between said courses, besides proceeding always in the same direction circumferentially of the fabric, extending always in one direction longitudinally of the fabricfrom one of said courses and always in the other direction from the other of said courses, two elastic yarns being laid in at each of said intersections, one extending in one direction from the course containing said intersection, and the other extending in the other direction.

3. A circular knit elastic fabric comprising a plurality of inelastic yarns knitted into loops to form wales and continuous helical courses, and at least one elastic yarn laid into the fabric at the intersections of selected wales with one of said courses and laid into the fabric at the intersections of other selected wales with another of said courses spaced from the first, the parts of said elastic yarn lying between said courses, besides proceeding always in the same direction circumferentially of the fabric, extending always in one direction longitudinally of the fabric from one of said courses and always in the other direction from the other of said courses, said elastic yarn being also laid into the fabric in at least one further course, spaced from any other course at which it is laid into the fabric, in yet other wales of the fabric.

4. A circular knit elastic fabric comprising a plurality of inelastic yarns knitted into loops to form wales and continuous helical courses, and aplurality of elastic yarns, each laid into the fabric at the intersections of selected wales with one of said courses and laid into the fabric at the intersections of other selected wales with another of said courses spaced from the first, the parts of said elastic yarn lying between said courses, besides proceeding always in the same direction circumferentially of the fabric, extending always in one direction longitudinally of the fabric from one of said courses and always in the other direction from the other of said courses, two elastic yarns being laid in at eachof said intersections, one extending in one direction from A in at least one further course, spaced from any other course at which it is laid into the fabric, and in yet other wales of the fabric. l

5. A circular knit elastic fabric comprising a plurality of inelastic yarns knitted into loops to form wales and continuous helical courses, and at leastone elastic yarn laid into the fabric at ythe intersections of a set of selected wales with one of said courses, and laid into the fabric at the intersections of a set of other selected wales with another of said courses spaced from the first, the wales of said two sets of wales occurring alternately round the fabric, the parts ofv said elastic yarn lying between said courses, besides proceeding always in the same direction circumferentially 'of the fabric, extending always in one direction longitudinally of the fabric from one of said courses and always in the other direction from the other of said courses.

6. A circular `knit elastic fabric comprising a plurality of inelastic yarns knitted into loops to form wales and continuous helical courses, and at least one elastic yarn laid into the fabric at the intersections of a set of selected wales with one of said courses, and laid into the fabric at the intersections of a set of other selected wales with another of said-courses spaced from the first, the wales of said two sets of wales occurring as pairs from one set alternating with pairs from the other set round the fabric, the parts of said elastic yarn lying between said courses, besides proceeding always in the same direction circumferentially of the fabric, extending always in one -direction longitudinally of the fabric from one of said courses and always in the other direction from the' other of said courses.

7. A circular knit elastic fabric comprising a plurality of inelastic yarns knitted into loops to form wales and continuous helical courses, -and at least one elastic yarn laid into the fabric at the intersections of a set of selected wales with one of said courses, and laid into the fabric at the intersections of la set of other selected wales with another of said courses spaced from the first, the wales of said two sets of wales occurring as pairs-from one set alternating with single wales from the other sety round the fabric, the parts of said elastic yarn lying between said courses, besides proceeding -always in the same direction circumferentially of the fabric, extending always in one direction longitudinally of the fabric from one of said courses and always inV the other direction from the other of said courses.

occurring alternately round the fabric, the parts of said elastic yarn lying between said courses, besides proceeding always in the same direction circumferentially of the fabric, extending always in one direction longitudinally of the fabric from one of said courses and always in the other direction from the other of said courses, two elastic one extending in one direction from the course 'containing said intersection, and the other extending in the other direction, each of said elastic yarns being also laidinto the fabric in,V at least one further course, spaced from any other yarns beingv laid in at each of said intersections,

course at which it is laid into the fabric, and in yet other wales of the fabric.

9. A circular knit elastic fabric comprising a plurality of inelastic yarns knitted into loops to form-wales and continuous helical courses, and a plurality of elastic yarns, each laid into the fabric at the intersections of a set of selected wales with one of said courses and laid into the fabric at the intersections of a set of other selected wales with another of said'courses spaced from the rst, the wales of said two sets of wales occurring as pairs from one set alternating with pairs from the other set round the fabric, the parts of' said elastic yarn lying between said courses, besides proceeding always in the same direction circumferentially of the fabric, extending always in one direction longitudinally oi the fabric from one of said courses and always in the other direction from the other of said courses, two elastic yarns being laid in at each of said intersections, one extending in one direction from the course containing said intersection, and the other extending in the other direction, each of said elastic yarns being also laid into the fabric in at least one further course, spaced from any other course at which it is laid into the fabric, and in yet other wales of the fabric.

10. A circular knit elastic fabric comprising a plurality of inelastic yarns knitted into loops to form wales and'continuous helical courses, and a plurality of elastic yarns, each laid into the fabric at the intersections of aset of selected wales with one of said courses and laid into the fabric at the intersections of a set of other selected wales with another of said courses spaced from the rst, the wales of said two sets of wales occurring as pairs from one set alternating with single wales from the other set round the fabric, the parts of said elasticyarn lying between said courses, besides proceeding always in the same direction circumferentiallyfof the fabric, extending always in one direction longitudinally of the fabric from one of said courses and always in the other direction from Vthe other of saidspaced from any other course at which it is laid into the fabric, and in yet otler wales of the fabric.

ALBERT FAIRHOLME GUYLER. WILLIAM HENRY BOALER. 

